Electricity generated at a power station may be produced using a plurality of energy sources, such as coal powered power stations, nuclear fission, hydroelectric stations, wind farms, solar photovoltaic cells, etc. This power generated at the power station is transmitted to users over a transmission grid. In recent years advancements have been made in transmission of power to an end user. One such advancement has been in the area of electrical power meters.
An electrical power meter may be implemented as an automatic meter reader (AMR) where the electricity usage is communicated one way to a meter reader. More recently, AMI meters have been developed. AMI meters differ from traditional AMRs in that they enable two-way communications between meters and an AMI command and control system. AMI command and control system may receive data from the AMI meter and communicate it over a network to remote locations. Also, AMI command and control systems may send data to electric meters to perform various tasks.
Automated meter reading (AMR) or AMI may often be configured to transmit data relating to utility usage parameters to a remote location, such as a utility company. However, many AMR devices are functionally limited in their communications options and may not be adaptable to communications technology.
The use of AMI has been limited to suppliers, utility companies and service providers. However, a need exists for providing utility companies with remote tools to utilize the potential of AMI. Additionally, users of AMR/AMI devices may need technologies for monitoring and controlling the AMR/AMI devices remotely. In a large network of AMR devices, costs associated with each connection/disconnection can be costly and inefficient.